A movie review of the Passion by Roger Ebert. I think he shows great understanding into why there is such a divergence in response to the movie. Of course I'm hardly neutral on the subject, but I think this is a good and fair review.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:5-6

I watched the Passion of the Christ tonight. Wow. I think Mel Gibson did a stellar job. As far as a Hollywood depiction of Jesus' suffering and crucifixion goes, I couldn't have been more pleased.

Though "pleased" makes it sound like it was some sort of light and happy experience. No, I don't mean that. It's a serious and sobering movie (duh), but through all the gruesome violence (and I was psychologically prepared, so it didn't seem over the top to me - it was as it should be), it was a carthasis, i.e. cleansing, of sorts.

In day to day life, I think it's hard to love Jesus. I mean, it's not that I hate or dislike Jesus, of course not. He's my God. But to really LOVE Jesus... the way you feel towards your mom or your beloved or your cute baby cousin... it's hard. It's too easy for him to be far off and not ever-present emotionally, the first one to turn to in all things and situations.

I don't mean to be or sound sacrilegious to the Bible, but the text of the Gospels have become too familiar. "He was flogged...", "struck him on the head again and again...", "when they had crucified him...", etc etc. It has become too tame, the impact diluted.

But every once in a while, a (good) movie like this will remind you why you LOVE Jesus. Like the way the adulterous woman who wiped Jesus' feet with her tears and the perfume did. Not only in action (obeying his commands) but in true feeling and depth of heart. In giving him your all gladly.

So I came home from the movie and wanted to read the Gospels again. I was thinking, does the text really say that? Oh yea, there was that one scene when... and it makes the text come alive for me once again. What did Christ say? Why did he say it? Who was he speaking to? And tonight, my heart is really warm towards Him. And I want to know Him and love Him better than I do.

So although it's only a movie, and we don't worship Jim Cavaziel (though I admit he was a pretty good-looking Jesus, haha j/k)... I think the Passion will perhaps light a little passion in the hearts of believers who watch it. Thanks Mel!

Am spending many a sleepiness night up writing The Paper. Oh yea, and procrastinating by writing on my blog.

I nearly forgot to add... CONGRATULATIONS TO EMILY AND SEAN on their engagement! That's great news! Emily was in my small group from the Berkeley years, and the two of them are silly and crazy kids. The two met through the college ministry at the church we attended in Oakland (CIBC.) Emily's currently working in auditing/accounting in the Bay Area while Sean's doing computer programming in the Seattle area.

I was fortunate to run into Sean at church on Sunday (lo and behold, he goes to our church and I did not know this until then) and we had lunch. All Sean wanted to know was, "Where can we get good boba?" (He has had little success in finding good boba places in Bellevue where he lives and works.) I look forward to when Emily moves up here (most likely.) Jason says we shall recruit them as part of the ALIAS cult. Good times!

From the The Book of Common Prayer, as part of the liturgy for Ash Wednesday:

"Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the felowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer."

CONGRATULATIONS JASON AND MARCIA on your engagement! WHOO-HOO! Now these folks are fun kids. Really fun kids. I can't wait to see what their own kids will be like. Probably super-fun-fun kids.

CONGRATULATIONS DAVE! I'm so excited - my good friend Dave is joining me in NYC! Okay, so he's not really joining me, he's actually starting a cool new job there in April. He'll be a native by the time I get there in June. I made him promise that he'd still hang out with me and be my friend.

This Wed is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a forty-day period of fasting (or self-discipline/denial) broken by Easter/Resurrection Sunday. Although I have never practiced (or celebrated?) Lent, I think I'd like to try this year. I recall some of my Catholic friends refraining from eating meat on Fridays or fasting from TV, but for some reason, my church had never talked about it at all. We tend to only celebrate Good Friday and Easter.

A quick funny story - last year my law school small section attended an appellate argument, so we were all kind of dressed up nicely. One of my classmates had a dirty spot on his forehead, it looked like he fell or accidently got lead on his face. I was talking to him, looking at the spot, and then I said, "You got something there" and waving my hand as if to wipe his forehead. "Oh no," he said, "it's for Ash Wednesday." It dawned on me. I knew he was Roman Catholic, and that must be one of their practices. Haha. Just kidding.

Back to Lent - I really liked this article in PRISM, an e-newsletter from Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA).

*******************************************************************************************
EXPERIMENTS IN JUSTICE: How some middle-class church folks tried living on minimum wage for Lent, by Tim Cole.

Ever wonder what it would be like to try practically identifying with the experience of being poor? A group at the Bristol Vineyard in England did just that. Here's a report of what happened.

A group of us from Bristol Vineyard met together as
a 10-week study group to read and talk about what it
would look like for God's justice to increasingly
break in to the world. We worked with a variety of
texts, from biblical passages such as Psalm 72 and
Isaiah 58, and with extracts from the writings of
people like Ron Sider, Walter Brueggemann, and
others.

One of the results of meeting together was an
invitation we issued to the rest of our church
community to join us in a challenge for the duration
of Lent 2002. The idea came from the group Church
Action on Poverty to live during the six weeks of
Lent on the amount of disposable income you would
have if you lived on the minimum wage (to learn what
minimum wage is in your state, go to
http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm). Some in
our church community, of course, already lived off
the minimum wage or less. Many of us, however, lived
off considerably more.

Our aim in doing this was to experiment with a
number of ideas. First, we saw this as a chance to
personally identify, in some small way, with those
who live on a minimum wage. For some of us, this act
of identification was a political one, and resulted
in letters to local and national politicians calling
for structural change. Second, we saw this as an
opportunity to experience in greater measure the joy
of giving. As a result of living off less, we aimed
to give away what we had "saved." Third, we saw this
challenge as an opportunity to intentionally pursue
the spiritual disciplines of frugality and
simplicity for six weeks. By intentionally living
off less, we sought to invite God to change our
attitudes towards money and possessions. And,
finally, we saw this as a prophetic act calling
others in our church to reflect upon the meaning
given to money and possessions, and our attitudes
towards compassion and justice.

We were very aware that this was a spiritual
discipline we were pursuing within community. So
alongside personally journaling our reflections on
how this challenge was affecting us, we also met
together to talk about the things we were
discovering and experiencing. Here are some extracts
from my Lent diary:

> Week One
I have some confessions to make: before Lent I
filled the car up with gas [editor's note: gas costs
approximately four times as much in the U.K. as it
does in the U.S.]. I also did a big shop at the
store to fill our cupboards and the fridge! I feel a
bit bad about the shameless stocking up on gas and
groceries. But I was conscious that we were having
people over for dinner, and a friend was arriving to
stay with us for a little over three weeks. I was
"scared" that living on the minimum wage wouldn't
allow us to be hospitable.

> Week Two
Money was tight this week. Didn't have to buy any
more gas for the car yet, but if we had that would
have put us over our limit. On Saturday we had a
wedding (it was local, so travel costs were minimal,
and we had already paid for a present, so it was
cheap entertainment!) But we did have my
sister-in-law's birthday, so we bought flowers for
her. One of the things we have talked about with the
other guys doing this is how we are suddenly so much
more sensitized to how much of our "entertainment" -
going out for dinner with friends or to a movie - is
potentially exclusive simply because of the cost. We
have all started to experience having to say "no" to
invitations to go out somewhere because we can't
afford it on our minimum wage budget. Or worse
still(!), friends say to us, "Oh, you are doing the
Lent thing, so let me buy you a drink!" Which is
kind of nice, but also kind of weird.

> Week Three
Overspent.

> Week Four
Seriously overspent.

> Week Five
Had an interesting talk on Sunday afternoon about
our experiences with some of the other folks who are
doing this. Even doing simple stuff like not getting
a take-out coffee feels like a "sacrifice" - giving
up something that feels like a "right." It's
interesting to think about the kinds of things that
become "rights" so easily and quickly once your
salary hits a certain level. My wife and I spent
some time on Sunday talking about where we are going
to give the money away, which was fun. That is the
exciting bit of this whole experience, but
something, of course, that long-term minimum-wage
earners could not look forward to.

> Week Six
An expensive week feeding 9 people, rather than the
normal 2, for parts of the week. Spent loads on
groceries. The end result was quite a hefty
overspend. But the good news is that we got an
unexpected check through from the bank which cleared
our overspend. It was interesting going shopping
earlier this week to get a present for our niece (a
Disney video). I felt repulsed by all the stuff
there was in the shops. I stood in the store and
looked around me and thought, "Absolutely none of
this stuff is essential." I guess this exercise has
made us think about what are the absolute
essentials, and then what are some of the small
treats that we have been allowing ourselves (we
bought Ben & Jerry's ice cream last week!). It has
meant that we haven't bought non-essentials. I don't
know how to express it, but I almost felt nauseated
by all this stuff in these shops, which all the
people around us were buying, most of which was
totally pointless and unneeded. I think as a couple
we have always tried to live a relatively simple
life, but doing this has made me think more about
the difference between necessity and stuff which is
unimportant and unnecessary.

We talked some more this week about where we wanted
to give the money we've saved, which is so
enjoyable. It's funny: intentionally living off so
much less makes you realize just how much you really
can give away. And it makes you look at what you
normally give and realize that it is far from being
sacrificial, and actually pretty miserly. We are
hoping and praying that the envelopes of cash that
we will be giving away to a few people in a couple
day's time will be to them what that surprise check
from the bank was to us.

(Tim Cole is on the pastoral staff of the Bristol
Vineyard, and is a professor of history at Bristol
University. He is also the editor of AVC-UK edition
of THE CUTTING EDGE. This article appears by kind
permission of THE CUTTING EDGE editors. For an index
of their past issues, go to
http://www.vineyardusa.org/publications/newsletters/
cutting_edge/index.htm

** ** **

For parents and other educators who would like to
deal with this subject with children, good resources
can be found at the Bread for the World Institute
website at
http://www.bread.org/howtohelp/church/sundayschool.html

And check out the Children's Activities at
http://www.hungernomore.org/childrens_activities/index.htm

especially "Making It Through the Month" at
http://www.hungernomore.org/childrens_activities/2002%
20edition/activity_4.pdf

and "Feeding a Family" Game at
http://www.hungernomore.org/childrens_activities/200
2%20edition/activity_6.pdf

and "Stories About Hunger" at
http://www.hungernomore.org/childrens_activities/200
2%20edition/activity_3.pdf

** ** **

A new 40-DAY GUIDE FOR LENT AND EASTER 2004 is now
available from Alternatives for Simple Living.
"Connecting with God, Others, Myself" contains daily
thoughts from Ash Wednesday (February 25) through
Easter Sunday (April 11) for individuals, families
and other small groups. Order on paper for $5 per 50
or make your own copies and pay a royalty of $.05
each.

The text of the guide is available online at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2004.html

How did another week pass by so quickly? I wrote something yesterday, but it was lost in the upload. Ah well, I shall try (again) to update soon about Jason's birthday, and our Valentine's weekend in Vancouver.

Tell me - what did you do over V-day or the long weekend?

The neighbor that lives directly below me has been playing this particular sappy song over and over for days, no weeks... or has it been months? I kid you not. I don't even know the song, but I can definitely hum the now-nauseatingly-familiar chorus for you. It gets worse in the evenings.

I wonder if he or she is tormented by infatuation of some sort. It may be getting worse because Cupid's Day is nearly upon us. I suppose that warrants some of my sympathy... but really, after being cooped up in my apartment for a couple days with no relief from it, all I want to do is to strangle that person.

I'm tempted to just jump up and down really hard, but I'm not sure if that'll get the message across. Or, I have these air pipes (with openings near the floor) that run vertically through the building.... and sometimes if there are a lot of people downstairs, their voices carry through the pipes. I've thought about yelling down the pipe, "Stop playing that song!!!!" Or, I guess I could just go downstairs and knock on the door.

If it doesn't stop, I just may have to resort to that kind of confrontation. Then again, sometimes I hear that song playing ("oh no!" I groan)... and then I wonder, is it really playing or has it implanted itself in my mind and I keep imagining it's playing over and over?

(Grace - this makes me think of you when we lived together and you'd play one CD over and over and over again. It's a wonder I didn't strangle you then. Haha. Naah, I'd just ask you nicely and you'd willingly oblige.)

Whew. I think it's stopped for now.

Oh the pain of being stuck inside when Seattle is gloriously sunny outside!

Maybe it's because the usual weather here is gray and drizzle, but the sunny days here look different than in Socal. And the sky is clear... with none of the gunky smog residue... It's like turning up the brightness dial on your computer to super-bright. Or like you had been covered by a gray tent, and all a sudden God pulled it off, and your eyes are trying to adjust to the light.

Did I mention yet that the UW campus is GORGEOUS?

I'm chained to my desk writing The Paper and hope that the weather will hold up for at least another day or so...


Sunny Days (Jars of Clay)

Sunny days keepin' the clouds away / I think we're coming to a clearing and a brighter day

So far away. Still I think they say / The wait will make the heart grow stronger or fonder / I can't quite remember anyway

So if you're waitin' for love / Well it's a promise I'll keep / If you don't mind believing that it changes everything / Then time will never matter

Winter, Spring...is what love can truly bring / Ice turns to water, water flows to everything / You can lose your mind, maybe then your heart you'll find / I hope you won't give up what's movin' you inside

If the car won't start, when you turn the key / When the music comes on, all your cold, cold heart can do is skip a beat

It's a promise I'll keep / When you're waitin' for love / If you don't mind believing that it changes everything / Then time will never matter

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, it seems appropriate to reflect on this thing called "love." How many girl-talks have I been a part of that have discussed and agonized over this topic? Seems like too many to count.

For those that are married, are in or have been in long-term relationships, perhaps the excerpt below will strike a chord:

"People get from books the idea that if you have married the right person you may expect to go on 'being in love' for ever. As a result, when they find they are not, they think this proves they have made a mistake and are entitled to a change - not realising that, when they have changed, the glamour will presently go out of the new love just as it went out of the old one. In this department of life, as in every other, thrills come at the beginning and do not last...
Let the thrill go - let it die away - go on through that period of death into the quieter interest and happiness that follow - and you will find you are living in a world of new thrills all the time. But if you decide to make thrills your regular diet and try to prolong them artificially, they will all get weaker and weaker, and fewer and fewer, and you will be a bored, disillusioned old man for the rest of your life. It is because so few people understand this that you find many middle-aged men and women maundering about their lost youth, at the very age when new horizons ought to be appearing and new doors opening all around them. It is much better fun to learn to swim than to go on endlessly (and hopelessly) trying to get back the feeling you had when you first went paddling as a small boy." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity


And of course, I am reminded of what seems to be a strange paradox:

"You cannot love a fellow-creature fully till you love God." - C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

The days have just flashed by! I can't believe it's been over four days since posting! Must be too much excitement... (writing the Paper, yea.)

On Fri, my partner and I met with our first client for our Clinic. I really enjoyed the first meeting. My partner and I are legally (not to mention ethically) bound and obligated to adhere to certain rules of professional conduct for our work. But most importantly, we are our client's legal advocates and she is counting on us in order to gain asylum in the U.S.

It must be similar to when medical students start their rotations and work with actual patients... it's a little intimidating and feels an incredible responsibility to know that our client literally puts her life and future in our hands. It feels quite weighty.

It's been too long that I have prayed with others in a small group setting. Yesterday I did. I'm not sure what makes it different than solo-prayer or large-corporate prayer, but it's a rather unique kind of prayer, i.e. small-group prayer. It was revitalizing and good for my soul.

Bev mentioned that she was proud that I have non-Asian friends in Seattle. Ha ha! This group is all white women, and quite different from any Christians I've ever hung out with. Just to give you an idea... the host/leader is the kind that tends to wear a lot of gothic black, her hair is dyed rather bright red, she works as a sign-language teacher and has two pet tarantulas. Yes, you heard me, not just one, but TWO tarantulas - Itsy and Sprocket (I think.) She lets them run around the house too. (haha, just kidding!)

The other women are also of quite different demographic backgrounds... for instance, they don't work in your typical "career" type jobs... e.g. secretary, retail-type jobs... or they work to support themselves fully and attend community college. Two of the them have already been married and are now divorced. One comes from a really broken past and background before she met God.

And yet, we are brought together in Christ! For there is now no Greek nor Jew...

The Passion of The Christ - A Mel Gibson Film - Official Movie Website - Icon Productions

The Passion of The Christ - A Mel Gibson Film - Official Movie Website - Icon Productions

Wow. Check out the trailer on the movie site.